A girl operates a ham radio.
Photo: Wikipedia
If electricity goes out for any period of time because of an earthquake or fires, authorities have often warned that the one way that isolated communities will be able to communicate is through ham radio.
The Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 in Pacific Palisades sent out a notice that getting a ham radio license can now be done electronically. Post 283 wrote: “These instructors have been conducting these classes for many years in person. They now have an online program due to the virus situation. They have an amazing pass rate due to the quality of the classes.”
July 19 Zoom Class and Exam
The instructors wrote that they were running the July 19 class over Zoom. At the end of the class, there will be a remotely administered exam. The price is $75 and one can still sign up on the website, hamclass.goodkin.net. One can also use Venmo or Zelle to send a payment to naomi@goodkin.net
The class format will be the same format as the in-person classes, but with a few changes:
- For drawings, Zoom’s whiteboard will be used.
- Students will use Hamstudy.org to read the questions instead of printed material.
- Students will register for the exam session via hamstudy.org instead of filling out a paper copy of the license application.
- Instead of signing the license application in advance, students will sign it electronically during the exam session.
The Zoom Whiteboard will give everyone the same unobstructed view, and everyone will hear every word. There will be no distractions from other students. During the independent study intervals, students will be able to ask questions in a breakout room.
Students will need to have a good Internet connection, and a quiet environment, free from interruptions for the day.
Just like the in-person class, successful students will devote a whole day to this, just as if they were sitting in a classroom. The only way this can be done in a day is to have the student’s attention for the whole day; it’s less stressful if students complete some reading assignments before the class.
Remotely Administered Exams:
GLAARG VEC, been coordinating remotely administered exams since early April, and their exam teams have administered around 1,000 exams to applicants all over the world.
(To read about on-line exams, visit: glaarg.org/remote-sessions.)
Questions about remote exams? Taking the technician license class over Zoom? Just email and the instructors will be happy to answer.
73, Norm K6YXH and Naomi WB6OHW